GOP platform has conservative edge

TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 21 (UPI) -- The platform being drafted for the Republican National Convention next week in Tampa, Fla., likely will be the most conservative plan in years, observers say.

"The document will reflect the heart and soul of the Republican Party," Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, platform committee chairman, said of the document that began being drafted Monday and will be unofficially finalized Tuesday.

Supporters of Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, social conservatives and Tea Party supporters have their own vision of the Republican Party and all are battling to have their positions included in the draft platform, Politico reported Tuesday.

"They've gotten pretty conservative over time," American Conservative Union Chairman Al Cardenas told the Washington publication. "The conservative community has been more demanding in terms of what the product has to look like. ... In terms of the last three or four platforms, this one gets the highest score -- from me and the ACU."

On Monday, delegates worked on economic, energy and foreign policy. They were scheduled to discuss social issues, government reform and healthcare on Tuesday.

Among some of the minefields platform developers must navigate are issues such as same-sex marriage, taxes, national defense and abortion.